Street-indicator



s. n. HOBERSON.

STREET INDICATOR. 'APP'ucAnoN FILED AUG-26, 1919 1,342,394. Patented June 1, 192 0.

' I TRANSFER N EXT STK] P T0 PA R K AV E A I AVE A TibRNEY.

S. D. ROBERSON.

STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION EILEUAUG-Zfi. 1919- 1,342,394. PatentedJune 1,1920 I I I 4 Z-SHEETS-SHEET 2- WI TNESSE'S IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY. v

UNITED s'rA'rss (PATENT orslcs.

s. DENVER, ROBERSON, or s'r. LOUIS, ivussounr.

STREET-INDICATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, S. DENVER ROBER- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Street-Indicators, of which the following is a specificatiton. v

This invention relates to improvements in street or station indicators and one of the objects of the invention is to provide means, automatically operated, for notifying the occupants of a car the name of the next street or station at which the car will stop.

Another object of the invention is to provide electric means for actuating the device with means for moving the same into operative position by contact devices placed at any desired point on the conductors for supplying current for the car.

The invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim. 1

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a face View of the casing which contains the actuating mechanism forming my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View through the case.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken longitudinally through the case.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the notched wheel with its slide.

Fig. 5 is a view showing one end of the feed roller with a notched wheel thereon.

In these views 1 indicates a case'whic'h. is adapted to be secured in position in a car where its front side will be in full viewof the occupants of the car. This front face is provided with an opening 2 through.

' ton desired. The strip 3 is supported on the upper and lower rollers 4:, the shafts of which are suitably journaled in the casing.

The strip is carried across said opening 2 Specification of Letters Patent.

of the motor.

' Patented June 1, 1920.

Application filed August 26, 1919. Serial No. 319,859

by means of the guide roller 5. The shafts d of the rollers 4 carry the beveled gears 7 which are adapted to mesh withthe gears S on the shaft 9. This shaft 9 is adapted to have longitudinal movement so as to move one or the other of the gears 8 into mesh with one or the other of the gears 7 whereby the strip will be moved in one direction or the other. The shaft 9 is provided with a pulley 10 which is connected with a pulley 11 by a belti'12. The pulley 11 is carried by a shaft 13 and'this shaft has secured thereto a large wheel 14. This wheel 14 is connected to a pulley 15 by the belt 16 and this pulley 15 is connected with the shaft of a motor 17." This motor is driven from the current supply to the car andl prefer to connect the wires 18 of this motor with a plug 19 so that the plug may be inserted in any one of the electric light socketsof the car. lVhen desired, a trans former 20 may be connected with the wires It Will thus be seen that when the motor is operated the shaft 9 will be rotated by means of the wheels and belts described; so that one or the other of the rollers-4: will. be turned to wind the strip thereon so that the indicia on said strip will be brought before the opening 2 in the case.

As the object of my invention is to notifythe passengers of the name of the next street.

or station at which the car will stop, I provide means for holding the parts stationary until the street or station is passed and then the parts are moved to bring the name of the l nest street or stationinto view and; to hold it in this position until this station or street is passed. The means for giving the parts this starting and stopping -motion comprises the electromagnets 21, the coils of which are connected by the wires 22 with the contact device 23 which 'is carried by the trolley pole 24 of'thdcar. This device 23 is adapted'to contact with the trips 25 which may be placed at any desired points on the'conductor 26. v In this way' as soon as the device strikes the trip 25, current will flow through said parts and the wire 22 to the coils of the magnet so that the armature 27 will be attracted. This movement of the armature will close the switch 28 to which the wires 18.01 the motor 17 are connected so thatcurrent will be suppliedto said motor and the parts set in motion. The means for holding the switch closed for a limited time after the current is broken by the dea vice passing the trip 25, consists of a wheel 29 located on the shaft 5 of the roller 5 and which is provided with a notch 30. When the parts are in operative position the end of the armature lies in thisnotch as the spring 31 forces the end of the armature upwardly against the periphery of the wheel 29 and when the notch comes opposite said end the armature will enter said notch. As long as-the armature is out of the notch, the switch 28 will be closed so that the motor is actuating the parts and thismovement will continue until the wheel 29 has made a complete revolution and the notch is brought into engagement again with the end of the armature.

In order to prevent the armature from rengaging the notch before the motor begins to actuate the parts, I provide a slide 32 on the wheel 29. This slide is formed of thin spring metal and is provided with a projection 33 extending into the notch. The

end of the slide, beyond the projection, has

a'beveled edge 34: and springs 35 tend to hold the slidewith the projection at the open end of the notch and the portion with the beveled edge projecting beyond the periphery of the wheel. When the wheel 'is in normal position, however, or with its notch in position to receive the armature, the slide is held with its lower end flush with the periphery of the wheel by the spring dog' 32' engaging the upper bent end of the slide. In this position the projection 33 will be in the bottom of the slot and the end of the slide will bridge the notch so as toprevent the armature from entering the notch. The armature when in the notch will bear against the slide and hold its end a slight distance away from the face of the wheel so that as the armature leaves the I 35 will move the slide to a position with its end projecting beyond the periphery of the wheel and the projection 33 adjacent. the open end of-the notch. lVhen the wheel I has made'a completerevolution the armature will strike thebeveled edge of the pro jecting part of the slide so as to causethe slide to bend away from the face of the wheel and when the notch comes opposite the armature the spring of the armature will cause the same to enter said notch and by engaging the projection 33 force the slide upwardly past'the spring dog and thus return theparts to their normal position.

M The means for moving "the shaft 9 longitudinally to reverse the direction of movement of the strip or tape, consists of a spring 36 on each of the rollers 4: and having its end engaging a notch 37 in the roller. These springs are normally held in their notches by the tape but as soon as the tape is unwound and the springs uncovered they will spring out of their notches. A part on this spring is adapted to strike-a slidable rod 38 and move the same longitudinally. This movement of the rod will rock the lever 38 which is pivoted at 38 and which has its other end connected with the shaft 9 so that when the lever is rocked the said shaft will be moved longitudinally. These springs 36 also act-to keep the strip or tape 3 under tension. V

I provide a push rod 39 for actuating the armature so that the strip or tape may. be

ing a casing, a pair of'rollers journaled therein, a strip connected with said rollers and containing indicia adapted to appear in said opening, an electric motor, means for connecting the same with the rollers to rotate the same, a switch for said electric motor, electromagnetic means including an armature for controlling said switch, track obstructions, means operated thereby for closing the circuit to the electromagnetic means to close the switch, a wheel operatively connected with the motor and having a notch therein, said wheelengaging'the armature for holding the switch closed and the notch being adapted to receive the armatureto open the switch and a slide memher on said wheel for preventing the reengagement of the armature with thenotch before the motor begins to rotate, said slide being made of spring material so as to spring under the armature whenthe same is withdrawn from the notch, spring means for moving the slide outwardly after the wheel begins to rotate, a beveled portion on said slide for engagement by the armature after the wheel makes one revolution to force the slide outwardly to permit the armature to reenter the notch, means for returning the slide tonormal position by the armature and a dog for holding the slide in normal position when the wheel is at rest.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

:s. DENVER ROBERSON. 

